Fears are growing that a Russian attack on Britain is "inevitable" as Vladimir Putin is said to be furious with the UK for its continued support of Ukraine. The Russian president is reportedly angered by Ukraine's use of British-made missiles in its fightback against Russia's invasion.
Kremlin warns of 'semi-military response'
Kremlin mouthpiece Andrei Fedorov warned Britain could face a "semi-military response" from "unknown sources". The former deputy foreign minister said last month: "It could take the form of something might happen with enterprises, with factories which are producing drones for Ukraine."
A UK security source fears there are Russian sleeper cells in this country that could carry out arson or drone attacks to make a statement. They told The Sun: "The question being asked is, 'How long do we keep poking the bear before it bites?' An attack on the UK's defence and security infrastructure is inevitable, based on our high-profile support for Ukraine."
Sleeper cells and proxies
It is feared Russian sleeper agents or proxies could carry out an attack on British soil. In 2024, the Russian mercenary group Wagner hired British men on social media app Telegram to set fire to a warehouse in Leyton, East London, providing aid to Ukraine. In June, two Ukrainian-born men were jailed for torching two properties and a car linked to then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The attacks were orchestrated from inside Russia by a shadowy figure known as El Money, whose identity and ultimate boss are unknown.
Security expert Prof Anthony Glees said the Government's muddled messaging on defence spending "tells our enemies we do not have the resolve to be strong enough to deter our lethal enemies from seeing us as a soft touch."
A 'grey zone' attack
Experts fear Russia could target Britain with a "grey zone" attack, which would damage infrastructure but not trigger Nato's Article 5 "an attack on one is an attack on all" policy. An example includes sabotaging or blowing up undersea cables, which more than 90% of the UK's day-to-day internet traffic travels via. In April, three Russian ships conducted a "covert" operation over cables in waters north of the UK, then-Defence Secretary John Healey said.
Military veteran and former MP Bob Seely told the Sun: "Blow up ten of them and it causes real problems." He also suggested a UK-related ship could be sunk somewhere, adding: "Something in the grey zone that is difficult to prove who is ultimately responsible."
Cyber attacks and all-out attack
There are also fears the UK could be targeted by a cyber attack. Mark Galeotti, Honorary Professor at University College London School of Slavonic and East European Studies, says Russia is a "safe haven" for cyber criminals – as long as they target the West. He claimed a tacit agreement is in place, telling the Sun: "Gangs running hacker attacks against British companies, blackmail scams, online 'phishing' operations and other types of cyber crime will be free to act without interference. And if Western agencies attempt to crack down, the Russian state will do all it can to block our efforts. Moscow will deny all knowledge of the gangs."
Moscow is already waging a shadow war across Europe through cyber and arson attacks, drones and disinformation campaigns. In December, MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli said the UK and its allies now occupy "a space between peace and war". In April, two Russian fighter jets whizzed past an RAF Rivet Joint intelligence-gathering plane over the Black Sea. A Russian Su-27 warplane carried out six passes in front of the RAF aeroplane, getting as close as six metres from its nose. In June, the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots close to a yacht being sailed by a retired couple in the English Channel.
When asked if the "Russians are coming?", Prof Glees said: "The answer is 'yes'. In fact they're already here, not just in a 409 ft war frigate, 25 miles away from our prime naval base at Portsmouth, but committing acts of sabotage on the mainland. We're as good as defenceless at this moment in time. Putin knows it. So Russian aggression, even if it's tinpot aggression, is ignored. Saving faces rather than slapping them hard."
